Automatic cigarette feed machine having a vacuum belt conveyor

ABSTRACT

The first conveyor which moves the single file of cigarettes upwardly uses an endless belt made of a flexible material with apertures spaced along the path thereof and an evacuation chamber over which the belt slides. The belt serves to cover over the evacuation chamber while the suction force created within the chamber draws air through the apertures in the belt to hold a cigarette thereon. Each cigarette which is positively held on the belt under suction serves to hold a number of cigarettes in front on the conveyor belt.

United States Patent Hall [54] AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE FEED MACHINE HAVING AVACUUM BELT CONVEYOR [72] Inventor: Floyd V. Hall, Durham, N.C.

[73] Assignee: Llggett & Myers Incorporated, New York,

22 Filed: Aug. 5, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 61,347

[52] US. Cl ..l98ll84 51 Int. ("I 365 15/00 [58] FieldofSear-ch..l98/l84, 193

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,282,586 11/1966 Schwebel..l98/l93 X [451 July 11, 1972 Schmitt 198/ 1 84 ..l98/184 ..l98/l84X2,639,025 5/1953 3,277,558 1 H1969 Fleischauer.... 2,362,168 11/1944Stokes Primary Examiner-Joseph Wegbreit Assistant Examiner-H. S. LaneAttorney-Kenyon & Kenyon, Reilly, Carr & Chapin ABSTRACT The fu'stconveyor which moves the single file of cigarettes upwardly uses anendless belt made of a flexible material with apertures spaced along thepath thereof and an evacuation chamber over which the belt slides. Thebelt serves to cover over the evacuation chamber while the suction forcecreated within the chamber draws air through the apertures in the beltto hold a cigarette thereon. Each cigarette which is positively held onthe belt under suction serves to hold a number of cigarettes in front onthe conveyor belt.

13Clalms,4l)rawingfigures PKTENTEDJUL 1 1 1972 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. Foyo 1 4L AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE FEED MACHINE HAVING A VACUUM BELT CONVEYORThis invention relates to a cigarette transfer apparatus. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a conveyor for a cigarettetransfer apparatus. Still more particularly, this invention relates toan inclined conveyor for conveying a series of cigarettes in an inclinedpath in an automatic cigarette transfer machine.

Various techniques and systems have been known for conveying a cigarettefrom a cigarette making machine to a cigarette packaging machine. Forexample, systems have been known in which the made cigarettes have beendeposited into trays and the trays have thereafter been placed, usuallymanually, onto conveyors for transport to a packaging machine. However,these systems have required considerable time and eflort in order toconvey large numbers of cigarettes from a cigarette making machine to acigarette packaging machine and as a result such has been relativelyexpensive and has added to the cost of the cigarettes which are to besold. As a result, other systems have been devised which rely onmechanized techniques to move the cigarettes from the making machines tothe packaging machines. However, these systems have usually been limitedin the rate of output so that more than one conveyor system has beenrequired in order to convey the output of two or more cigarette makingmachines to a single cigarette packaging machine.

In order to overcome the disadvantages of these above systems, varioustypes of conveyors have been proposed for feeding cigarettes directlyfrom a cigarette making machine to a cigarette packaging machine. Forexample, in some instances it has been known to discharge the output ofa single cigarette making machine onto a plurality of runs which areoperated to stack the cigarettes into three rows for passage into apackaging machine so as to provide a conventional cigarette package. Inanother case, cigarettes have been moved in bulk along a conveyor systemeither longitudinally or vertically into a hopper of a packagingmachine. However, such systems have generally been limited to a slowrate, for example, 1200 packaged cigarettes per minute. Further, in thecase where the cigarettes have been conveyed in bulk, a substantialpercentage of the cigarettes have been damaged due to crushing and thelike during transportation. In other cases, it has been known to utilizea chain conveyor to convey cigarettes from the making machine to apackaging machine. However, in these machines, the feed rate has beenconfined to relatively low rates since an increase in speed hasfrequently caused the cigarettes being conveyed to fall from theconveyor due to vibration. Also, the vibration has caused skewing of thecigarettes on the conveyor which can lead to jamming of the conveyor anddamaging of the cigarettes.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to convey a single fileof cigarettes on an inclined plane.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus forconveying a single file of cigarettes upwardly .on an inclined planefrom a cigarette making machine towards a cigarette packaging machine.

It is another object of the invention to convey a single row ofcigarettes on an upwardly directed plane without crushing of thecigarettes.

It is another object of the invention to convey a series of cigarettesat high speed.

Briefly, the invention provides a cigarette transfer apparatus whichdelivers the output of a high speed cigarette making machine directly toa high speed cigarette packaging machine in a one-to-one relationship.The apparatus includes a pair of conveyors which are connected in seriesto convey the cigarettes from the making machine first in an upwardlydirected plane and then into a horizontal plane for depositing into ahopper of the cigarette packaging machine. The inclined conveyor isconstructed so that the cigarettes are conveyed in a free manner so asto avoid crushing of the cigarettes during conveyance while thehorizontally disposed conveyor conveys the cigarettes in a looselybulked manner.

The transfer apparatus is constructed so that the entire output of thecigarette making machine can be directed in a steady stream into thehopper of the cigarette packaging machine without interruption.

The inclined conveyor is constructed to move a row of cigarettes on aninclined plane in an upward direction under a suction force whichretains the cigarettes on the conveyor belt. To this end, the conveyorbelt can be fonned of any suitable flexible material and can be providedwith a series of apertures which communicate with an evacuation chamberpositioned between the rollers of the conveyor between the upper andlower reaches of the conveyor belt. The evacuation chamber is exposed atthe upper side to the conveyor belt and serves to draw air through theapertures in the belt into the evacuation chamber. By thus drawing airthrough the belt, a cigarette can be drawn under suction against theaperture in the belt and retained over the aperture. The spacing betweenthe apertures and the belt are such that a number of cigarettes in frontof the retained cigarettes will be held on the belt by the positivelyretained cigarette acting as a stop. The evacuation chamber is furtherconstructed so as to be in open communication with the upper reach ofthe conveyor belt throughout the length of the reach as well asthroughout an upper section of the belt which is curved about theconveyor rollers. In this way, the point from which the cigarettes aredeposited onto the horizontal conveyor can be controlled.

The evacuation chamber of the inclined conveyor is evacuated through anysuitable means through an outlet a pipe which extends from a side wallof the chamber. This pipe can be disposed at any particular position soas not to interfere with the movement of the conveyor belt. In addition,the evacuation chamber is provided with a pair of guides which serve toslidably mount the upper reach of the conveyor belt thereon and whichare made of suitable material so as to reduce wear therebetween.

Since the cigarettes are conveyed only by a single conveyor belt and areotherwise exposed to view, any defective cigarette can be readily seenand removed if desired. Further, should any cigarette become skewedduring conveyance, jamming will not occur in the inclined conveyor.

After the cigarettes have been deposited into the hopper of thecigarette making machine, a suitable packaging operation is carried out.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent when taken in conjunction with the following detaileddescription and appended drawings in which: a

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an automatic feed machine according tothe invention located between a cigarette making machine and a cigarettepackaging machine;

FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged fragmentary view of the inclined conveyorof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the inclined conveyor ofFIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a fragmentary plan view of the conveyor of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cigarette feed machine 10 is disposed between acigarette making machine 11 and a cigarette packaging machine 12. Boththe cigarette making machine 11 and the cigarette packaging machine 12are of conventional structure and therefore are not further shown ordescribed. The cigarette feed or transfer machine 10 includes a firstconveyor 13 which is inclined so as to convey the cigarettes 14 from themaking machine 12 to an elevated position and a second conveyor 15 whichtransfers the elevated cigarettes 14 into a hopper 16 of the cigarettepackaging machine 12.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the inclined conveyor 13 is constructed of apair of conveyor rollers 16, 17 a conveyor belt 18 which is disposed inendless fashion over the conveyor rollers 16, 17, and an evacuationchamber 19 which is disposed under the upper reach of the conveyor belt18. The upper conveyor roller 16 serves as a driving roller to drive thebelt 18 while the lower conveyor roller 17 is formed as a flanged outerrace ring of an anti-friction bearing (not shown) to be freely mountedon the shaft 20 carrying a pair of grooved dispensing rollers 21, as areknown, of the cigarette making machine 11. The endless belt 18 isprovided with a series of apertures 22 disposed along the length of thebelt 18 in spaced relation. For example, the apertures 22 are spacedapart a distance of approximately three to four times the diameter ofthe cigarettes being conveyed. The evacuation chamber 19 is disposed sothat the belt 18 slides on the upper surface of the chamber 19.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the evacuation chamber 19 is of asubstantially channel shaped cross-section with an open top. A pair ofguide plates 23 are secured adjacent the upper ends of the side walls 24of the chamber 19 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner such asby welding. These guide plates 23 serve to guide the conveyor belt 18thereon and are of any suitable material to reduce wear therebetween.For example, the belt 18 can be made of a material such as spring steelor nylon while the guide plates 23 are made of brass. In the event thatthe belt is made of a material such as a porous nylon weave or a nylonfilm, the guides can be made of Teflon or other suitable plasticmaterial. In addition, the plates 23 are spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the width of the apertures 22.

In order to evacuate the interior of the evacuation chamber 19, asuitable outlet pipe 25 (FIG. 1) is secured in a side wall 24 of thechamber 19 and communicates, for example, over a flexible line 26 to avacuum pump 27 which is driven by a suitable motor 28. The outlet pipe25 is disposed near the lower end of the chamber 19 to communicate withthe vacuum pump 27 while the vacuum pump 27 and motor 28 are mounted onany suitable support structure adjacent to the lower end of the conveyor13.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the evacuation chamber 19 further has a curl29 at the upper end which is sized so as to curl around the conveyorroller 16 without interferring with the drive of the conveyor belt 18 bythe conveyor roller 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the angularextent of the curl 29 from a point located in a plane 30 perpendicularto the axis of the conveyor roller 16 and perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis 31 of the conveyor 13 subtends an angle A ofapproximately 75 to 80 maximum. The dimensions of the curled end of theevacuation chamber 19 and the conveyor roller 16 are such that theconveyor belt 18 is unsupported for only a slight distance in passingfrom the guide plates 23 of the evacuation chamber 19 onto the surfaceof the conveyor roller 16.

Referring to FIG. 2, the inclined conveyor 13 is provided with asuitable frame 32 which serves to support the conveyor roller 16 andevacuation chamber 19 in fixed relation to each other. The frame 32 issized to be positioned in close proximity to the dispensing rollers 21of the making machine 12 so that the conveyor belt 18 can be loopedabout the lower conveyor roller 17 and so that the evacuation chamber 19can be brought between the dispensing rollers 21 close to the pointwhere the cigarettes are discharged from the dispensing rollers 21. Ifnecessary, the lower end of the evacuation chamber 19 can be arcuatelyextended in a manner similar to the upper end in order to initiate theinfluence of the chamber 19 on the cigarettes.

In addition, a suitable tension arrangement 33 is mounted in the frame32 of the conveyor 13 so as to place the conveyor belt 18 under tension.For example, the tension arrangement 33 includes a pair of rollers 34,35 one of which is fixedly mounted in the frame 32 of the conveyor 13and the other of which is movably mounted in a guided manner in theframe 32 under the force of a spring 36 secured to the frame 32. Thistension arrangement 33 can be similar to that described in copendingapplication Ser. No. 28,640 filed Apr. 15, I970. The tension imparted tothe belt 18 is of sufficient to maintain the belt 18 in sliding contactwith the guide plates 23 of the evacuation chamber 19 so as to preventany leakage of air between the plates 23 and belt 18. This will preventloss of the vacuum force required to retain the cigarettes on the belt18.

Referring to FIG. 1, the horizontal conveyor 15 is disposed so as toreceive the cigarettes 14 delivered from the inclined conveyor 13 and totransfer the cigarettes in stacked fashion to the hopper 16 of thepackaging machine 12. This horizontal conveyor 15 is constructed, forexample, of a pair of endless belts 40 of interconnected chain pushers(not shown) which are disposed about pairs of toothed sprockets 41, 42.One pair of sprockets 41 is driven while the other pair of sprockets 42is coupled to the upper drive roller 16 of the inclined conveyor 13 todrive the same. In addition, the conveyor 15 includes a platform (notshown) located between the endless belts 40 which can be made of anysuitable material to support the cigarettes being conveyed along theconveyor 15.

The conveyor 15 is further provided with a pair of upstanding walls 43to either side so as to provide a channel for the transportation of thecigarettes in stacked fashion. Each of these walls 43 can be formed of atransparent material for visual viewing and at least one can besectioned so as to be removed or pivoted away to permit access to thecigarettes. The conveyor 15 is of a construction which is similar tothat described in copending application Ser. No. 28,640 filed Apr. 15,1970 and reference is made thereto for further details.

Referring to FIG. 2, in order to aid in the guiding of the cigarettes 14from the inclined conveyor 13 to the horizontal conveyor 15, a guidemeans 44 in the form of a plate is mounted on the second conveyor 15adjacent to the end of the inclined conveyor 13. This guide plate 44allows the cigarettes being delivered from the conveyor 13 to slide downonto the belts 40 of the horizontal conveyor 15 without falling into thespace between the conveyors. In addition, a hold down flap 45 such as apiece of canvas which may be supported on a pin 46 mounted on a wall 43of the horizontal conveyor 15 can be used to further facilitate deliveryof the cigarettes onto the conveyor 15 in an orderly manner. The flap 45is loosely supported so as to be pushed aside under the force of theflow of cigarettes from the inclined conveyor 13 to the horizontalconveyor 15. In this way, the cigarettes upon passing from one conveyorto the other are substantially prevented from jumping off the end of theinclined conveyor 13. Also, a further flap 45 can be used to hold downthe stacked cigarettes conveyed along the conveyor 15 and stacked withinthe hopper 16.

Referring to FIG. 1, the delivery end of the horizontal conveyor 15 isprovided with a suitable guide .means 48 for facilitating passage of thestacked cigarettes into the hopper 16, for example, as, described in theabove mentioned copending application. In addition, an agitating means49 having a reciprocating bar 50 with extending pins 51 located withinthe hopper 16 is provided and is connected to the guide means 48 inorder to oscillate the same. A segregating means 52 is also provided inthe hopper 16 to segregate the cigarettes as well as a photosensingsystem 53 for detecting different levels of cigarettes in the hopper 16for control of the packaging machine speed as is known.

In order to actuate various conveyors of the transfer machine, a drivetransmission is connected so as to drive the horizontal conveyor 15which in turn drives the inclined conveyor 13. This drive is similar tothat described in the above mentioned copending application and furtherdescriptive details are not believed to be necessary. However, it isnoted that the lower conveyor roller 17 is able to move independently ofthe operation of the dispensing rollers 21.

In operation, with the cigarette making machine 11 and transferapparatus 10 in operation, a row of cigarettes is discharged onto theupper reach of the conveyor belt 18 via the dispensing rollers 21 as isknown. The belt 18 of the inclined conveyor 13 then conveys the streamof cigarettes 14 upwardly from the making machine 11 under the suctionforce which is generated within the evacuation chamber 19. That is, asair is drawn through the apertures 22 in the conveyor belt 18, some ofthe cigarettes 14, e.g. every third or fourth cigarette, positioned onthe upper reach of the conveyor belt 18 are drawn by the air stream overrespective apertures 22 so as to seal of! the apertures. Each cigaretteso drawn is thereafter retained in place over an aperture 22 under theforce of the vacuum. The cigarettes 14' which are positioned betweeneach pair of retained cigarettes 14 then roll down the conveyor 13 asmall distance until abutting a retained cigarette 14 and are thereaftercarried along with the retained cigarettes 14. To this end, theapertures 22 are spaced apart on a centerline-to-centerline basis byabout three to four cigarettes diameters. However, any suitable spacingcan be used to effect transport of the cigarettes. Alternatively, thebelt 18 can be made of a woven or mesh-like material so that air isdrawn substantially uniformly therethrough to positively retain all ofthe cigarettes under suction.

In order to retain the cigarettes 14 over the apertures 22 a pressure ofbetween two inches to three inches of vacuum is used for a conveyor 13inclined on an angle of about 45. Should the angle of the conveyor 13 bemade steeper, more vacuum would be required. In addition, the movementof the belt 18 in relation to the speed of the making machine 11 is suchthat the dispensing rollers 21 which serve to individually discharge themade cigarettes out of the cigarette making machine 11 are positionedwith respect to the conveyor belt 18 so that every third or fourthcigarette comes into substantially immediate contact with an aperture 22in the conveyor belt 18. This permits the cigarettes to be positivelyretained on the conveyor belt 18 substantially immediately upon leavingthe influence of the dispensing rollers 21. From this point forward,each retained cigarette 14 is conveyed positively along the upper reachof the conveyor while holding two or three cigarettes 14 in the frontagainst backward movement under gravity. Upon reaching the upper end ofthe conveyor 13, the row of cigarettes are directed about the conveyor13 over the curl 29 of the evacuation chamber due to the vacuum effectof the evacuation chamber 19 at this end. Upon reaching a point wheregravity would overcome the retaining force on the cigarettes 14, thecigarettes roll off the conveyor belt 18 onto the guide plate and thenceonto the horizontal conveyor 15.

The continued operation of the transfer machine is substantiallyidentical to the operation of the machine as described in the abovementioned copending application and further description is not believedto be necessary.

The invention thus provides a cigarette transfer apparatus whichutilizes an inclined conveyor which can move a row of cigarettesupwardly in single row fashion at substantially high speeds. Forexample, the cigarettes can be moved at a rate of over 3600 cigarettesper minute. In addition, the cigarettes being conveyed can be readilyinspected since they are exposed to view so that should any cigarettesbecome damaged during conveyance such can be readily removed. Inaddition, because the cigarettes are being conveyed only from below,jamming of the cigarettes on the conveyor and crushing of the cigarettesduring conveyance are eliminated.

The invention further provides a transfer apparatus which does notsubject the conveyed cigarettes to any mechanical forces other thansuction. The freely moving cigarettes therefore can maintain theroundness and desired compaction in being moved between a cigarettemaking machine and a cigarette packaging machine.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic cigarette feed machine for conveying cigarettes froma cigarette making machine to a cigarette packaging machine;

a first conveyor inclined with respect to a horizontal plane having asmooth endless belt for conveying a single row of cigarettes thereonfrom the cigarette making machine to an elevated position in asequential series, said belt having a plurality of spaced apartelongated apertures therein transversely of said belt, each aperturebeing sized to position a conveyed cigarette thereover, and

means for drawing air through said apertures to retain at least some ofthe conveyed cigarettes thereon under a suction force.

2. In an automatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1wherein said apertures are spaced apart a distance of from three to fourdiameters of the conveyed cigarettes.

3. In an automatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1wherein said belt is made of spring steel.

4. In an automatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1wherein said belt is made of nylon.

5. In an automatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1wherein said conveyor includes an evacuation chamber positioned belowthe upper run of said belt for evacuating air through said belt toretain at least some of the conveyed cigarettes thereon under a suctionforce, said evacuation chamber having a guide means thereon slidablreceiving said upper run of said belt means thereon.

6. A conveyor for conveying cigarettes in an upwardly inclined planecomprising an evacuation chamber having an open side;

means connected to said evacuation chamber for creating a suction forcewithin said evacuation chamber, and

an endless belt having an upper run thereof slidably mounted over saidopen side of said evacuation chamber to close said open side, said belthaving a plurality of spaced apart elongated apertures extendingtransversely of said belt for passage of air therethrough into saidevacuation chamber whereby a cigarette positioned on said upper run isretained under a suction force on said upper run.

7. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, wherein said evacuation chamberis of channel shaped cross-section and is dislposed longitudinally andparallel to said upper run of said be t.

8. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, wherein said evacuation chamberincludes guide means thereon projecting from said open side to slidablymount said belt thereon with said apertures extending therebetween.

9. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, wherein said apertures are spacedapart a distance equal to from three to four diameters of the conveyedcigarettes.

10. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, which further includes a rollerat one end of the conveyor for driving said belt in an endless path,said evacuation chamber having an end curled about said roller betweensaid belt and said roller.

11. A conveyor as set forth in claim 10, wherein said curled endsubtends an angle of approximately 75 to from a point in a planeperpendicular to the rotational axis of said roller and perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the conveyor.

12. A conveyor for conveying cigarettes in an upwardly inclined planecomprising an evacuation chamber having an open side;

means connected to said evacuation chamber for creating a suction forcewithin said evacuation chamber;

an endless belt having an upper run thereof slidably mounted over saidopen side of said evacuation chamber to close said open side, said belthaving means therein for passage of air therethrough into saidevacuation chamber whereby a cigarette positioned on said upper run isretained under a suction force on said upper run, and a roller at oneend of the conveyor for driving said belt in an endless path, saidevacuation chamber having an end curled about said roller between saidbelt and said roller.

13. A conveyor as set forth in claim 12, wherein said curled endsubtends an angle of approximately 75 to 80 from a point in a planeperpendicular to the rotational axis of said roller and perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the conveyor.

* I! I? t It UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHIE @ETWEQATE CQEQTEQN 3,675,761 5Dated July 11, 1 2

Patent No.

Invento'r(s) l yd V. Hall It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters- Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet [563 under the References Cited,

patent number" "3,277,558" should read 3,477,558

Signed and sealed this 19th day of December 1972.

(SEAL) Attest;

EDWARD M. FLETCHER,JR, 5 ROBERT GSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1565O356-334.

FORM PO-IOSO (10-69)

1. In an automatic cigarette feed machine for conveying cigarettes froma cigarette making machine to a cigarette packaging machine; a firstconveyor inclined with respect to a horizontal plane having a smoothendless belt for conveying a single row of cigarettes thereon from thecigarette making machine to an elevated position in a sequential series,said belt having a plurality of spaced apart elongated apertures thereintransversely of said belt, each aperture being sized to position aconveyed cigarette thereover, and means for drawing air through saidapertures to retain at least some of the conveyed cigarettes thereonunder a suction force.
 2. In an automatic cigarette feed machine as setforth in claim 1 wherein said apertures are spaced apart a distance offrom three to four diameters of the conveyed cigarettes.
 3. In anautomatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidbelt is made of spring steel.
 4. In an automatic cigarette feed machineas set forth in claim 1 wherein said belt is made of nylon.
 5. In anautomatic cigarette feed machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidconveyor includes an evacuation chamber positioned below the upper runof said belt for evacuating air through said belt to retain at leastsome of the conveyed cigarettes thereon under a suction force, saidevacuation chamber having a guide means thereon slidably receiving saidupper run of said belt means thereon.
 6. A conveyor for conveyingcigarettes in an upwardly inclined plane comprising an evacuationchamber having an open side; means connected to said evacuation chamberfor creating a suction force within said evacuation chamber, and anendless belt having an upper run thereof slidably mounted over said openside of said evacuation chamber to close said open side, said belthaving a plurality of spaced apart elongated apertures extendingtransversely of said belt for passage of air therethrough into saidevacuation chamber whereby a cigarette positioned on said upper run isretained under a suction force on said upper run.
 7. A conveyor as setforth in claim 6, wherein said evacuation chamber is of channel shapedcross-section and is disposed longitudinally and parallel to said upperrun of said belt.
 8. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, wherein saidevacuation chamber includes guide means thereon projecting from saidopen side to slidably mount said belt thereon with said aperturesextending therebetween.
 9. A conveyor as set forth in claim 6, whereinsaid apertures are spaced apart a distance equal to from three to fourdiAmeters of the conveyed cigarettes.
 10. A conveyor as set forth inclaim 6, which further includes a roller at one end of the conveyor fordriving said belt in an endless path, said evacuation chamber having anend curled about said roller between said belt and said roller.
 11. Aconveyor as set forth in claim 10, wherein said curled end subtends anangle of approximately 75* to 80* from a point in a plane perpendicularto the rotational axis of said roller and perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor.
 12. A conveyor for conveyingcigarettes in an upwardly inclined plane comprising an evacuationchamber having an open side; means connected to said evacuation chamberfor creating a suction force within said evacuation chamber; an endlessbelt having an upper run thereof slidably mounted over said open side ofsaid evacuation chamber to close said open side, said belt having meanstherein for passage of air therethrough into said evacuation chamberwhereby a cigarette positioned on said upper run is retained under asuction force on said upper run, and a roller at one end of the conveyorfor driving said belt in an endless path, said evacuation chamber havingan end curled about said roller between said belt and said roller.
 13. Aconveyor as set forth in claim 12, wherein said curled end subtends anangle of approximately 75* to 80* from a point in a plane perpendicularto the rotational axis of said roller and perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor.